Upon giving Cubase the finger

Okay, so after talking with a few people I decided to try and get away from Cubase for a while, for workflow reasons. Trying to be more spontaneous and less obsessed with tweaking the details.

The MPC thread got me thinking about my MPC 1000, and so I started messing around with using it to sequence synths. It started to click a bit, enough so that I think I will be happy using the MPC to sequence MIDI, and sample a bit. I wanted to wait and see how I liked using it for sequencing before I got more gear, and I think it'll do nicely. Now... help me pick out some stuff!

Here's my current setup:

- Yamaha MG16/6FX mixer: 16 channels, 4 group out + St out, basic FX unit

- MPC 1000 w/128 meg upgrade

- Prophet VS

- Korg X5D

- MS2000 arriving in a few days (:grin: :grin:)

- Misc. synths and bobs of lesser interest

- BlueTube preamp and a few mics

- Misc. stomp boxes

- Computer with Delta 1010, Tascam US-428. Cubase banned for the moment, am still allowing myself full use of utility apps like soundforge, and fun bits like the wacom tablet midi thing.

- Lava lamp

Now, a few questions:

1. The goal was to get out of the computer a bit, and as such I'm thinking about getting some sort of multitrack recording device. I am leaning towards a digital one, that writes to compactflash cards or something. Ideally, I suppose I'd like 4 tracks or more, the ability to record all those four at once, and the ability to play back a track, process it through something, and record it back simultaneously. Also would be nice to be able to take a track from another recording and put it into the current one, some rudimentary editing facilities, etc. And I'd want to be able to copy the files off with a computer when done with a song. Do not care terribly much if it's portable though that'd be nice.

Can anyone recommend one that does all that? I'd also consider tape or adat, but I think the convenience of digital is something I'd like.

Of course, I could just record on the computer, but then I'd have to find something other than Cubase. I looked a bit, haven't found too much I liked yet.

2. I started to get along with the MPC nicely for sequencing midi, and it's good for sampled drums. But, I was also pondering getting another sampler, for the sake of ease and expanded options (more tweakability). I'm also starting to gather the MPC isn't so hot for melodic sampling, nice as it is for drums. I wasn't thinking anything serious... probably would go after a used sampler, that was great back in the day, but is a bit old now... Akai S1000 or something. Should I get another sampler, or stick with the MPC1000? Recommended samplers?

3. I don't really have any FX units, just the dinky thing built into my mixer. So, I probably should get some sort of multi-fx. Recommendations?

4. Are those E-Mu rack sound modules any good?

5. Other things you think are important for working without the computer?

Thanks!

1. record to your computer in Cubase or whatever. trying to do all the stuff you're used to on some wack other recorder will make you hate life. sometimes i use a tape deck, which is about all i would recommend.

2. do you forsee yourself doing a lot of melodic programming with samples? samplers older than the mpc1k are a pain in the ass to use because how do you get the samples in there? yeah, it's cool to have some old-school bass samples or something, but what are you going to do, load them all by hand? copy them over with the floppy drive you have handy? and all the old akai shit doesn't even read WAV files, they use their own disk format and own file formats. PITA

3. guitar pedals?

4. nah

5. i dunno

1. in cubase i get all locked into EDIT EVERYTHING PLUGIN PLUGIN HELLO. i dunno, man. maybe. maybe just audacity or something. i was basically looking for the digital equivalent of a tape deck, just to save myself conversion hassles if i care to release anything. i suppose i could use cubase, and just ban myself from too much editing.

2. i don't know what i want to do. i just get the sense having some sampling other than the mpc's would be good, from dicking around with it a bit. i don't care if it's akai whatever, just want something cheap that takes wav, and has some method of getting samples over to it from the computer. i find it hard to explain why i want another sampler... i guess, the akai feels really like a drum machine, and i want something that feels like a module. in addition to my drum machine.

3. too much of a pain in the ass. i guess i should mention i'm big on delays. delays with multiple taps and timings, controllable via midi, etc. in general, i'm not a big fan of guitar pedals. batteries and wall warts and cables... i'm just looking for a cheap workhorse unit with maybe 2x stereo in/out, so i can do crazy cascading delays with a bit of reverb and flanger. and maybe distortion. it doesn't have to be crazy $50k quality, just plenty programmable and flexible.

4+5: fair enough

thanks for the reply!

what about recording with a video editing type program?

multitrack and basic editing, but pretty limited as to what it can do to audio...

also...sell some stuff and get an mpc4000 used...

has a full fledged akai sampler in it, a full fledged mpc, and takes compact flash...zing!

(and recording and editing facilities, really)

about 2 grand used....totally awesome though.

sound forge

1. you can get D-80's or ADAT's really cheap these days - nice convertors, 8 track digital - can't go wrong... or you could shop around for a nice cheap s/h sampler with lots of memory and record and trigger phrases with that instead... master onto DAT maybe (DA20mkii)... recording mixes on the computer means using the computer soundcard, and for recording, most budget soundcards aren't too hot

2. cheap Emu could compliment the MPC... it's the classic pairing, guys like Arovane and Stewart Walker go for... ideally look for an emu with an internal HD - very cheap on ebay now

3. ensoniq DP/4++ or DP/2 are ideal... lightyears beyond anything you'll find in s/w delay and flanger wise

4. i'm not a big fan - i've got a proteus 2000, but it's not often plugged in... roland jd-990 is stunning on the other hand - different calibre of synth

5. i'd just use a beefed up sampler and a synth or two... the MPC gives you everything you need - if you wanted a 2nd sequencer to go with it and give you a little more flexibility, maybe a QY700...